How to Discriminate Between Healthy Fats and Harmful Fats

Ketogenic diets are all the rage these days. This means that people on this diet are eating 70 to 80 percent fat, and many are having fabulous results in terms of weight loss. Yet, as with any diet trend, many people may be doing more harm than good to their body IF they don’t pay attention to the types of fats that they are consuming.

How Our Fat Consumption Changed with Processed Foods

The Western diet is rich in processed foods. This means that many people are eating foods prepared with processed vegetable oils high in Omega-6 fats. These fats are necessary for health, but not when consumed in excess.

Sadly, over the last several decades intake of Omega-6 fats nearly tripled. This sets the body’s ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids severely off balance. Furthermore, processing of vegetable oils damages Omega-6 fatty acids. When we consume damaged Omega-6s, they affect our cellular health and can cause significant cellular dysfunction and damage.

Therefore, it’s important to understand what types of fatty foods are good, and which ones you should avoid. This is important regardless if you’re going keto or eating a regular diet.

Foods Offering Healthy Fats

There are many foods that deliver ample healthy fats to the body. If you want to ensure that you’re getting sufficient Omega-3 fatty acids, then look for marine foods such as wild-caught salmon, sardines and herring. Take note, though, to stay away from farmed fish as they can be chocked full of toxins.

Fish oil and krill oil supplements can also offer sufficient Omega-3s, such as Bronson Antarctic Krill Oil. Here it is also important to look for products sourced from wild fish and krill. Consequently, sufficient levels of Omega-3 fatty acids help the body burn fat and synthesize proteins, increasing muscle strength.

Further, if you’re looking for healthy food sources of Omega-6 fats, turn to plant seeds and tree nuts. This encompasses a large variety of foods, such as sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seed, walnuts, cashews, pecans, avocados, etc. Particularly beneficial are flax seeds, which offer a 1 to 4 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids.

Anna Hunt is writer, yoga instructor, mother of three, and lover of healthy food. She’s the founder of Awareness Junkie, an online community paving the way for better health and personal transformation. She’s also the co-editor at Waking Times, where she writes about optimal health and wellness. Anna spent 6 years in Costa Rica as a teacher of Hatha and therapeutic yoga. She now teaches at Asheville Yoga Center and is pursuing her Yoga Therapy certification. During her free time, you’ll find her on the mat or in the kitchen, creating new kid-friendly superfood recipes. Download Anna's most recent book here: Superfoods Playbook - Sneaky Ideas and Easy Recipes to Help You Eat More Superfoods

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